1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to complementary graphical representations and more particularly relates to a complementary high-level graphical representation of an enterprise information technology system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information technology systems are becoming increasingly important to all aspects of organizations. As a result, the size and complexity of many information technology systems are growing rapidly. For example, an enterprise information technology system may include data centers at a plurality of sites, with a plurality of high-bandwidth communications channels between each data center. In addition, each data center may include a plurality of devices, herein referred to as elements, including mainframe computers, servers, data storage libraries, data storage devices, routers, switches, terminals, workstations, printers, and the like.
A graphical visualization of an information technology system may be employed to aid an administrator in navigating the complexity of the enterprise information technology system. For example, the graphical visualization may depict elements and groups of aggregated elements with varying levels of detail. The administrator may use the depicted elements to locate, query, and manage the elements of the system. For example, the administrator may use the graphical visualization to locate a storage device, query the storage device for performance data, and direct the storage to go offline after migrating data to other storage devices.
Unfortunately, the administrator may lose the global context of the entire information technology system while using the graphical visualization to focus on a subset of elements within the enterprise information technology system. For example, the administrator may be unable to easily determine the relationship of the storage device to a mainframe computer while viewing a detail of the storage subsystem that comprises the storage device.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that display a complementary, high-level graphical representation of an information technology system. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would provide context for navigations of detailed views of the information technology system.